It was no surprise to see a massive crowd in the Salem Civic Center that attended former President Donald Trump’s Rally on Saturday. People were so eager to attend the Rally, some camped outside the Civic Center the night before to be the first in line in the morning to get inside and find a seat close to the podium.
But perhaps for security reasons, no one was allowed to stay overnight in the Center’s parking lot. Accordingly, people had to wait in a long line for hours to go through the security checks and enter the building. In addition to Trump’s intention in this Rally to encourage people to vote, the encouragement and the enthusiasm could already be seen in people before Trump’s arrival.
Trump’s Rally at the Salem Civic Center not only drew approximately 7,000 people to fill the hall to capacity, but it also caught the attention of many national and international press / media outlets such as Washington Post, The Guardian, The Telegraph, as well as a variety of other regional and local press outlets.
A wide diversity of people could be observed and the energized / positive attitudes could not be hidden from people’s faces. People at the Rally were remembering the four years of Trump’s era between 2016 to 2020, which they said had a better economy, a secure border, and an absence of war.
Karama Alhanhanah, a young lady from Culpeper, VA, born to Yemeni parents, was among the Rally’s attendees and said, ”Trump is not only good for America, he is good for the world.” This statement can be understood by many Muslims and Arabs as they did not experience war during Trump’s Presidency in the Middle East, and now, Biden-Harris’ policies have brought a major crisis to the region, and is responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people.
Also, Biden-Harris policy has become a factor in worsening inflation; rising costs in almost all markets are causing people to feel the burden. It is noteworthy that Harris’ ongoing false allegations against Trump are her only campaign strategy. The candidate for U.S. Senate, Hung Cao, who escaped communism in Vietnam in the 1970s, spoke to the crowd. He said he has pursued the American Dream and now, endorsed by Trump, clearly said at the Rally, “we are not racist, we are not fascist.”
In an enthusiastic voice, Trump reiterated his promises and encouraged Virginians to vote for him. By focusing on border security and cracking down on gangs, Trump said that he will work with Governor Glenn Youngkin on MS-13. “We will get MS-13 the hell out of your communities.” The lack of border security by Biden-Harris has resulted in the influx of illegal immigrants and allowed for many sad catastrophes for Americans. The case of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was strangled by two illegal men affiliated with the gang, was a big topic for Trump at the Rally.
Sadly, the two men had been apprehended and then released by the Border Patrol less than three weeks before Jocelyn’s murder! Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis, has blamed Vice President Kamala Harris for being in charge of the border and the failure of her “catch and release” policy.
A Maryland couple, Tammy and Jeremiah Nobles, were invited by Trump to speak and express their feelings.
This family’s 20-year-old daughter, Kayla, was killed by an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador. Tammy said that the murderer’s sponsor was not verified by Health and Human Services and therefore, ICE under the Biden-Harris Administration refused to keep him in detention. Tammy said that Child Protective Services (CPS) put him in an unsecured group home, and later CPS enrolled him in two separate Maryland high schools.
People clearly remember Trump’s secure border policy that reduced illegal entry to the country. He showed a chart that gave the Rally attendees evidence of the steep rise of illegal immigrants into the U.S. under Biden-Harris.
Trump also put a light on women’s sports as that has been degraded by Democrats in the past few years. It was a serious matter for Trump at the Rally and he invited members of the Roanoke College women’s swim team to the podium.
Trump sent an active message of support to women in America. “We will, of course, keep men out of women’s sports,” Trump promised. The Team Captain, Lily Mullins, spoke candidly about Biden-Harris policies that have allowed men to compete in women’s sports, which is obviously grossly unfair. She thanked Trump for promising to protect women’s rights. “We are so lucky to have a leader like Donald Trump with common sense.”
Trump focused on America by promising to prioritize building up the nation, defending the borders, and protecting Americans. “After years of building up foreign nations, defending foreign borders, and protecting foreign lands, we are going to build up our nation, defend our borders, and protect our lands and our citizens,” Trump declared.
Trump bashed Biden-Harris for high inflation. According to the government’s Consumer Price Index, inflation has been far worse during the Biden-Harris Administration compared to the Trump Administration. The first 45 days of Biden’s term it was 20.1% compared to Trump’s first 45 days, which was only 7.1%. Also overall inflation was measured at 5.4% under Biden but only 1.9% under Trump.
According to Forbes, under Trump’s Presidency, the stock market performed better compared to that of Biden-Harris. And also the average cost of a gallon of gas fell from $2.37 to $2.28 from 2016 to 2020. In 2022, the cost of a gallon of gas rose to $5.00. Today, the average cost of a gallon of gas today is $3.10.
One of the major promises that Trump reiterated at the Rally is ending the Ukraine-Russia and the Middle East wars. “I will end the war in Ukraine and I will stop the chaos in the Middle East,” Trump said.
In reviewing Trump’s past Presidency, it is clear that he has fulfilled many promises regarding improving the economy, preventing wars through effective strategies, and implemented a policy to reduce the influx of illegal immigrants. Now, the question is: Do Americans want all of the above and will they vote for Trump?
Or choose to keep the dark future of a Harris /Walz administration?
– Serwan Zangana supported Operation Iraqi Freedom as a U.S Army translator before coming to the U.S from Kurdistan, Iraq in 1997 to seek political asylum. He was granted asylum status and years later proudly became a U.S citizen. He currently serves as a correction officer in Roanoke.